Stutzman responds to Presi-dent Obama’s speech

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July 26, 2013 - 8:27am

U.S. Congressman Marlin Stutzman issued the following statement in response to President Obama’s misleading attack on the House’s decision to split the Farm Bill into a farm-only Farm Bill and separate food stamp legislation.

“The time for business as usual is over. Americans deserve honest and accountable government,” Stutzman stated. “The President is waging a fear campaign by accusing Republicans of ‘gutting’ the Farm Bill when nothing could be further from the truth. By splitting the Farm Bill, the House is offering the American people a clear look at how their tax dollars are spent.”

“Despite the President’s claims, this isn’t about taking food away from families in need – this is about having an honest conversation about how we tackle real problems in a responsible way,” he continued. “For decades, the unholy alliance between farm policy and food stamps has prevented meaningful reform and fueled Washington’s habit of throwing money at a problem without actually solving it. It’s time for farm policy and food stamps to stand on their own so we can measure success by the number of families who are back on their feet—not by how large Washington’s broken programs grow.”

Speaking in Illinois, President Obama said: “You've got a faction of Republicans in the House who won't even give [the Senate immigration] bill a vote and the same group gutted a Farm Bill that America's farmers depend on but also America's most vulnerable children depend on.”

For more than a year, Congressman Stutzman has called on Congress to separate farm and food stamp policy. On July 11, the House passed the first farm-only Farm Bill in 40 years.